


Useless

by danceamongtheroses



Category: Arslan Senki | Heroic Legend of Arslan
Genre: Daryun and Narsus are like worried parents, Fluff, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-07
Updated: 2016-04-21
Packaged: 2018-05-18 17:09:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,414
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5936323
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/danceamongtheroses/pseuds/danceamongtheroses
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Arslan feels useless when his companions constantly decline his offers to help with their tasks, but when Elam goes missing, he may be able to prove that even a Prince could be useful.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time writing for Arslan, and it's been a few months since I've even written. It's not been beta'd so if there are any mistakes feel free to let me know!

It was nearly dark by the time the group stopped for the night. The sun was just barely peeking over the mountains, sinking down further every second. The dying light cast eerie shadows among the trees.

Arslan sat on a fallen log just outside the perimeter, watching as his companions prepared the camp. Daryun and Narsus argued over how the tents were to go up. Gieve was sitting near Farangis, watching her quietly as she prepared more arrows with help from Alfreed. Elam was pulling the cooking supplies out of the side saddles on the horses, struggling to keep everything in his hold.

Arslan stood up to help his friend, catching one of the wooden bowls as it fell from the boy’s grasp.

“Here, let me help you.” Arslan offered, reaching out to take some of Elam’s load.

Elam looked taken aback. “Prince Arslan.” He said, bowing his head as best he could with his arms full. “It’s unnecessary that you help me. Please, sit and rest, Your Highness.”

“Um, alright.” Arslan said quietly, handing the bowl back to Elam and slowly returning to the log. It would be useless to argue with Elam, the boy was too humble and too stubborn to let the prince help.

Arslan continued to watch as everyone else puttered around the camp. He often felt useless at times like this. No one wanted to make a prince do menial tasks, and on the rare occasions someone let him help, their patience to teach him the tasks was limited, and Arslan was left feeling as if he was more of a nuisance.

Elam slowly started to prepare the evening meal for the group, cutting up the meager ingredients for the stew. When he had finished his preparations he began to look around the campsite, and Arslan knew he was looking for the perfect place to start a fire. Somewhere not too close to the tents, where the fire could set them ablaze, but also somewhere not too far, for both convenience and heat.

“I’m going to collect firewood.” Elam announced to the group. He instinctively looked over at Narsus for the man’s approval. Narsus barely turned his head to nodded at the boy before going back to his heated (and undoubtedly petty) argument with Daryun.  
Elam took off towards the forest, heading quickly into the deep underbrush.

“Hey, Elam!” Arslan cried out, leaping off the log and running to catch up. “You shouldn’t go into the woods by yourself, I should go with you.”

Elam stopped and turned towards the prince. “That is very kind, Your Highness, but I’m sure I can manage on my own.” Arslan smiled as he caught up.

“It’s no problem.” He assured. He heard Elam sigh beside him.

“Prince Arslan,” Elam said tentatively, choosing his words carefully. “I cannot as a prince to help me collect firewood. It would be best if you returned to the camp.”

Arslan stopped at Elam’s words. “Are you sure?” He said in a small voice.

“Yes.” Elam said firmly. “Please allow me to collect the firewood for the camp.”

Arslan gave the boy a sad look as he returned to the camp. He sat back down on the log for the third time and tugged his cloak closer towards him, wishing that his cloak could make him disappear.

* * *

 

The sun was fully down by the time anyone noticed that Elam had been gone for far longer than he should have.

“You’re certain that Elam was just going for firewood?” Narsus asked, his brows furrowed in worry.

Arslan nodded. “I told him I should have gone with him, but he insisted that I stay here.”

Narsus shook his head. “Foolish boy.” He muttered. “He’s always been one to do everything himself, but he’s never taken this long to collect wood. His independence may have finally gotten him into trouble. Which way did he go?”

Arslan pointed off in the direction he had last seen Elam. Narsus stood near where Arslan had pointed and shouted into the woods.

“Elam!” He called out. A few birds that had been sitting in the nearby trees scattered, and he listened to the silence, hoping Elam would shout in return.

“Elam!” He called out again, worry starting to creep into his voice. Daryun grabbed his bicep as he tried to call out a third time.

“Save your breath.” He said. “Calling out like that may alert any nearby enemies to our location. Our best option is to split up and go look for him.”

Narsus’ shoulders dropped in defeat. “You’re right.” He said. “Gieve, Farangis, Alfreed! You three head North-East for a ways then split up. Daryun and I will go North and do the same.” Narsus stopped and looked at Arslan.

“Should I head East?” Arslan asked, hopeful that he could help with the search for his friend.

“No.” Narsus said. “You wait here, it’s not safe in the woods for a prince, and we need someone to wait here in case Elam returns.” He buckled his belt around his waist, pulling his sword out of its scabbard and making sure it was sharp enough. “If no one finds him within an hour, return to camp and we will re-plan our search strategy.”

Arslan watched as the rest of the group scattered into the woods. When he could no longer hear the leaves and twigs crunching under their feet he stood up from his log and put his sword on his belt from where it rested against the log.

‘To hell with waiting around.’ He thought. He didn’t want to be sitting around feeling useless while his friend may be in trouble.

“Sorry Daryun.” He apologized quietly to his loyal servant. He knew the man would be furious when he found out Arslan had put himself in danger by wandering into the forest.

Straightening out his cloak and making sure his sword was snugly at his side he took off into the forest, vowing that he would be useful to his companions.


	2. Chapter 2

The underbrush scraped Arslan's shins. A sharp stick had already torn a hole in his trousers, and now with every step he was acquiring scratches. One, in particular, was quite deep, and Arslan had to bite his tongue to keep from crying out when he got it.

“Damn it, Elam.” He muttered under his breath as he pulled his cloak further around his shoulders. Night had truly fallen, and Arslan was beginning to feel the air cool around him.

The sound of a twig breaking made him jump. “Hello?” He called out softly. “Elam?” He got no answer. “Daryun?” He tried again.

The quiet sound of heavy breathing made him fearful that he was being watched. He pulled his sword out, adjusting his grip and preparing to attack at any moment. Pushing the brush ahead of him to the side, moving forward towards the sound.

There was no attacker waiting to ambush the prince as Arslan had imagined.

“Elam!” Arslan cried. The boy was leaning up against a tree. His eyes were closed and his breathing ragged. Arslan rushed to his side. Up close, Elam looked terrible, his skin unnaturally pale and shimmering with a cold sweat.

“Elam?” Arslan tried to wake him up by gently shaking his shoulder. “Come on, Elam. Wake up.”

Elam showed no signs of rousing soon. Arslan put his hand on Elam’s forehead. He didn’t know much about medicine and the human body, but he knew that Elam should not have been that hot.

“Damn it.” Arslan said. He lifted Elam onto his shoulder, half carrying, half dragging the poor boy. Straining his eyes in the dark, he tried to find the way he came to get back to camp.

Arslan trudged through the forest with Elam, praying that he would make it back to camp soon.

He could feel Elam beginning to regain consciousness, the boy stirring and muttering nonsense on his shoulder. He stopped and rested Elam against the tree.

“Hey.” Arslan said quietly. “How are you feeling?”

Elam opened his eyes a crack. “Arslan?” Arslan winced. It sounded like it was taking all of Elam’s strength to talk. “What ‘re you doin’ here? Told you- don’ need help.”

Arslan swallowed the lump in his throat and forced out a small chuckle. “You got lost. Everyone is out looking for you.”

“ ‘m not lost. Jus’ felt tired, so I- sat down.”

“You’ve been gone for hours. Narsus is worried about you.” Arslan told him.

“He is?” Elam seemed to perk up a little at that.

“Yes, and we need to get you back to the camp, you’re ill.”

“Okay.” Elam pushed against the tree in an attempt to stand up, getting only a few inches off the ground before falling down.

“Here, let me help you.” Arslan lifted Elam back onto his shoulder, and for once Elam didn’t argue. He didn’t have the strength.

“Do you know the way back to camp?” Elam asked as they began their trek.

‘I’m not sure.” Arslan admitted. “We’ve already gone a lot further than we should have.”

“So we’re lost.”

“Says the one who passed out in the woods.”

Elam laughed. “It’s just a little cold that got slightly out of hand, I’ve had it for a few days. Besides, I’ve had much worse.”

“Why didn’t you tell anyone you were sick?”

“What good would it do? Everyone else was busy too. What is it to anyone else is a servant happens to catch a small cold?”

Arslan sighed deeply. “You should have told me. I would have helped more. I care if one of my companions is too unwell to function.”

Elam gave a small sigh and stayed quiet, not wanting to continue the conversation.  Arslan continued to carry Elam, pretending not to notice that Elam was pretending to be asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a really short chapter, but the next one is going to be longer, I promise!


	3. Chapter 3

Eventually they came to a small cave nestled in the rocks of a cliff. It was small, just enough room for the two growing boys to fit comfortably inside for the night.

When Arslan had gotten Elam settled on the ground, he shrugged off his cloak, draping it over the shivering form. He didn’t argue, Arslan noticed, in fact it almost looked like he had snuggled up with it further.

“We need a fire.” Elam rasped. “It won’t be good for either of us to spend the night without one. Just something small, but in the cave no enemies could see it.”

“And neither could our friends.” Arslan stated.

Elam looked at the ground. “If they were smart they went back to the camp. They should wait until it’s light to find us.”

Arslan moved to sit down beside him. When he was on the ground Elam draped the cloak over him as well. “They’ll probably still be looking.” Arslan said. “They’ll be worried about us.”

“They’ll be worried about you.” Elam said under his breath.

“Us.” Arslan said firmly. “You should have seen Narsus. He was so worried about you. He looked as if he wanted to tear the forest apart to find you. Daryun had to be the voice of reason.”

Elam laughed softly. “That doesn’t happen often.” He was silent for a minute. “Was Narsus really that worried?”

Arslan nodded. “He cares about you quite a bit, whether you think he does or not.” They were quiet again for another minute. Every little sound echoed in the cave, even their breath.

“I’m surprised they let you come look.” Elam said. Arslan suddenly found a spot on the cave wall very interesting.  
“Well, uh… I wasn’t supposed to go looking for you. They told me to wait at the campsite in case you returned. I knew they just didn’t want me to go out into the forest, so I went looking for you.”

Elam turned sharply to look at Arslan. “Why on earth would you do that, Your Highness? You didn’t know where I was; you could have walked off a cliff, or been captured by slave traders!”

Arslan turned to look at Elam with a glare. “Why shouldn’t I have come looking for you? You shouldn’t have gone off by yourself. You’re my friend, I was worried about you too!” He huffed. “We all were.” He added quickly.

Arslan could see the surprise in Elam’s eyes. “You’re a Prince. You don’t need to worry about a servant like me, much less come after me when I get lost.”

“What are you talking about?”

The cloak shuffled as Elam moved positions under it. “You always offer to help, that’s not what prince’s do. You call us friends.” He elaborated. “Everything Narsus has told me about royalty has been about how they take advantage of people. But you’re not like that.”

“I’ve told you.” Arslan said. “I was raised as a commoner for a long time. I don’t know how to be an arrogant royal yet.” His voice held a teasing tone to it, but it just frustrated Elam.

“That’s another thing! Anyone else in your shoes would take advantage of their position, trying to forget their upbringing and abuse their power. But you…” he faded off, looking around the cave to avoid Arslan’s gaze.

“Do you want me to act arrogant?” Arslan asked quietly.

Elam shook his head like a young child, and Arslan took this as an opportunity to keep talking.

“I was raised to always help people, the nursemaid who raised me always got me to help with the cooking and the chores. When I came to the palace they didn’t let me do any of that stuff, and it started to feel like I wasn’t really wanted around the palace. My mother and father don’t like me, and the servants there are trained not to talk to us.”

Arslan was silent for a moment before whispering. “It was lonely.”

Elam cleared his throat. “Then why do you struggle with simple tasks now if you were raised doing them?”

“I’m not sure.” Arslan shrugged. “I guess years of not doing them has made me rusty.” Elam seemed to think his answer was satisfying; he didn’t ask any more questions. He just rested his head on the rough cave wall and closed his eyes.

Arslan tried to close his eyes as well, but his mind had too many thoughts racing about.

Almost half an hour passed before Arslan spoke again. “Are you still awake?”

Elam shifted next to Arslan. “Yes.” He said, his voice hoarse with sleep, and his eyes remained closed. “It’s hard to fall asleep against a rock.”

Arslan silently agreed. His bottom had gone numb twenty minutes ago.

“Can I ask you a question?” There was a grumble beside him that Arslan took as a ‘yes’. “W-what was it like for you, growing up?”

Elam’s eyes opened slowly, trying to look in the dark to see if Arslan was serious. “Why are you asking, sire?” He could feel the prince shrug beside him.”

“I‘m just curious. You never talk about yourself at all; surely you must have something interesting you’re hiding.”

“I’m not sure the life of a freed slave would interest you.” Elam laughed nervously. He often never told anyone about his life in slavery. Narsus had tried to get him to open up a few times, but the boy usually found ways to avoid those types of questions.

“If you’re uncomfortable speaking of it, you don’t have to answer my question.”

“It’s not uncomfortable, per se.” Elam rushed to say. “It’s just, as a slave-” he paused, thinking of how to phrase his next words. “you didn’t really talk about other people’s pasts. Some of them would be too horrible to imagine. And opening up wasn’t something master's encouraged, it gave you too much of an identity, you wouldn’t just be a nameless slave if you talked about yourself.” He took a deep, shaky breath. “Narsus has tried to talk to me a few times, and it has gotten easier. But it is still awkward for me to tell him of my time when his father owned me.”

“Is it alright if I ask what it was like?” Arslan asked.

Elam licked his lips and twitched nervously. “Narsus’s father wasn’t exactly a cruel master, but he was very strict. He often hired slave drivers to look after the slaves, and they could be quite cruel. My mother worked in the kitchens once she became pregnant with me, and there was only one driver there, who gave her no trouble. But my father would often come back from the fields with whip lashes from slave drivers who got twisted pleasure from the power. When I was around five I was sent out to work in the fields too.” He stopped talking, and Arslan didn’t push him for more details.

“Despite that, my parents were loyal to our master. He made sure we were well fed and had a place to sleep. When Narsus released us, my parents stayed and worked for him, he was kind to us as well.

My parents died not a year after our freedom. An influenza struck the Lord’s estate, taking them and many others.” Elam’s voice hitched when he spoke of this. “Before they died they asked me to stay serving Narsus until I’m old enough to make my own way in the world. Narsus has been kind enough to keep me close to his side, even when he retreated to a cabin in the woods.”

“Narsus cares a great deal for you, Elam. Maybe even more than you realize.” Arslan told him.

Elam felt warm at Arslan comment “He’s the first person I’ve ever been close to. There weren’t many children amongst the slaves, maybe one or two more, so I never made friends. Narsus made me feel like it was okay to be myself around him. But other than him I’ve never had anyone I’d consider a friend.”

“Am I not your friend?” Arslan asked, feeling as if he’d been punched lightly in the stomach.

Elam stuttered over his words. “Y-y-ou’re a prince, my lord. I-i-it would be improper for you to even consider having a friend of such a low class.”

Arslan huffed with annoyance. “You don’t have to use titles when we’re alone, Elam. I want to be your friend.” In a quieter voice he added. “Please, let me be your friend.”

“Why are you so desperate for my friendship?” Elam asked earnestly.  
“I haven’t had a friend close to my age since I arrived at the palace.” Arslan admitted. “Daryun is a nice companion, but at times he can feel more like an overprotective big brother.”

“You want to be my friend just because we’re near the same age?” Elam asked teasingly. “My, maybe you are an arrogant prince after all.” It felt surprisingly easy to tease Arslan, although a voice in his head chastised him for being so casual.

“I wasn’t done.” Arslan laughed, swatting lightly at Elam. “We’re the same age, yes, but you’re also kind and patient. I want to be able to prove myself to you. That I can do more than just lead men into battle. I want to show you and everyone that I am capable, and not a nuisance that needs to be wait upon all the time. I want you all to see that I am an equal to you.”

Elam blushed. “You’re not a bother, Your-, I mean, Arslan. Not to me, and not to our companions. We are with you for a reason, because we believe you will be a great king. You’ve proven yourself yet again, by showing that you care for your companions want to show your full worth.”

“Thank you, Elam.” It was Arslan’s turn to blush now, even though Elam couldn’t see it in the dark.

“I would gladly be your friend, Arslan.” Arslan’s face split into a wide grin. He scrambled out from under the cloak and flung himself into Elam’s arms.

“Thank you!” He said happily. Elam coughed from the force of Arslan’s body hitting his chest, and Arslan was reminded that the boy was sick, and they were stuck in the cave because of this.

“You stay here.” Arslan said, wrapping Elam back up in the cloak. “I’m going to get some wood for a fire.”

“Take this.” Elam unbuckled a waterskin from his belt and held it out for Arslan to take. “There might be a stream nearby. Don’t go far, but see if you can find one.”

Arslan took the skin, standing up and feeling his way along the wall of the cave for the way out. As he stepped out of the cave he could hear Elam’s slow breathing as the boy tried to get some rest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will probably be one or two more chapters, and I have a little sequel planned as well. Keep your eyes out for it!


	4. Chapter 4

Elam was asleep by the time Arslan got back. He hadn’t been gone long; there was a small stream nearby with barely more than a trickle in it where he managed to fill the waterskin, and collecting wood hadn’t taken more than ten minutes. 

He smiled softly at Elam’s sleeping form. The boy must have been more tired than he led Arslan to believe. He seemed to be breathing easier, and when Arslan felt his forehead it was cooler, the skin not as clammy as it had been.

Arslan set to making a fire. With no flint and steel to ignite the fire it would be difficult, and rubbing two sticks together was harder than it looked. 

He managed to get a fire going, his hands nearly raw by the time the first spark caught the kindling. He made it a reasonable size before turning to Elam.

“Elam.” He gently shook the boy. “You need to move closer to the fire, and you should have some water before you sleep again.”

“Don’t want to.” Elam mumbled, half asleep. He pulled the cloak over his head in protest.

Arslan shook him again to wake him up more. “Come on Elam, just a bit of water and then you can go back to sleep, I promise.”

Slowly the cloak slipped off Elam’s head and he reached out for the waterskin. His hands were trembling slightly as he raised the water to his mouth, but somehow he managed to keep the water from dribbling out of his mouth.

Arslan took the water back when he was finished, taking a few sips before closing it. Elam might need more during the night, and Arslan didn’t want to go back into the woods until dawn if he didn’t have to.

Elam had drifted back to sleep before Arslan could convince him to move closer to the fire. He debated about waking the boy up again, but decided against it, settling for gently pushing him over from a sitting position onto his side. Arslan lay between the fire and Elam, struggling to pull the cloak away from Elam long enough for him to lay it back over the both of them evenly.

He curled up next to Elam; the boy having fallen asleep before he could move towards the fire to keep warm. Despite the slight shivering from the lingering cold, Elam was still rather warm. Arslan only hoped that in the morning Elam would be well enough to help search for the camp.

* * *

Elam was the first to wake. Arslan's arm was wrapped around his waist, holding him close. He greedily took in the feeling of being held for a moment before gently shuffling out from under the prince’s arm and the cloak.

The fire had died down at some point in the night, but the cave still managed to retain the heat, and Elam found it to be comfortable. His cold was getting better, he could tell already; the day before had been the worst day. He hadn’t told his companions but he had been feeling ill for a few days before he passed out. He hadn’t thought he’d been quite that sick.

He took a small drink from the water skin, leaving a little bit left for Arslan when he woke up. A small smile graced his lips. It still felt wrong to call the prince by his given name, or even to consider themselves friends, but he kind of liked the feeling of it being forbidden, even if Arslan himself told Elam that it was alright.

Elam jumped when Arslan grunted, the prince rolling over to look at Elam with bleary eyes. “How are you feeling this morning?” Arslan asked, sitting up with a yawn and stretched. 

Elam chuckled softly at Arslan’s rumpled appearance. “I’m feeling much better this morning. Thank you.” 

Arslan smiled. “Good.” He pulled the cloak off himself and passed it to Elam. “You should wear this, we don’t want you getting sick again.”

Elam wanted to protest. It was a fine cloak, something made to fit Arslan exactly and made from the finest fabrics. But Arslan looked determined to get Elam to wear it, and it was very soft. Elam reached out carefully, taking the cloak from Arslan and fastening the clasp around his throat with great care. It wouldn’t be good if he were to scratch any part of Arslan’s cloak, not when he so graciously lent it to Elam.

Smoothing the cloak around his shoulders, Elam sighed softly before speaking. “We should get going. We don’t have any food here, and the camp could be far away.”

Arslan silently agreed and stood up, holding out a hand and helping Elam do the same.

Together they left the cave, searching for a way back to camp. Elam knew that the reason Arslan was going so slow was to make sure he didn’t exert himself. To be honest, he was grateful; he wasn’t back to full health, and any exercise made him a little tired.

“How are you feeling?”   Arslan asked after a while. Elam was breathing heavily, and Arslan was worried he was pushing the boy too much.

“I’m fine.” Elam gave a strained smile. “Don’t worry about me. I’m tired, but the sooner we find the camp the better.”

“Let me know if you need to stop.”

They continued on; the sun was high in the sky before they stopped for a break. Elam had insisted that they continue on without a break, but Arslan convinced him when Elam broke into a coughing fit. 

“If you push yourself too much we’ll have a harder time finding the camp.” Arslan said, offering the water skin to Elam and monitoring how much he drank to make sure he had his full share.

“If we don’t keep looking we won’t get back to the camp before dark, and we’ll be forced to spend another night in the woods. I’m fairly certain there won’t be another cozy cave for us to sleep in.” Elam argued. He passed the water to Arslan, who took a few sips before closing the lid.

“But if we-” 

“No.” Elam cut Arslan off. “We need to keep moving; we can’t spend another night away from the group. It’s not safe for either of us.”

“Would you stop being so damn stubborn?” Arslan cried out, getting fed up with Elam’s bullheadedness. His outburst made Elam jump.

“Keep your voice down.” He hissed back. “We don’t want to draw attention to enemies!”

“It’s too late for that, I’m afraid.” A voice from behind them boomed. It made both of them jump, Arslan struggling to get his sword out to protect them.

“Now, now. There’s no need for that.” Another voice joined, teasing them.

Turning around to face the newcomers, Arslan nearly wept with relief and dropped his  sword. “Narsus! Daryun!”

Daryun brushed past Narsus, concern evident on his face but Arslan could tell that the knight was angry with him. “Your Highness, what on Earth were you thinking?” He bent down to be face to face with Arslan, gripping his shoulders hard enough to bruise. 

“I’m sorry, I just wanted to help.” Arslan apologized. “Elam was in trouble.”   


“Don’t blame Arslan.” Elam interrupted. Narsus held him tight, looking like Elam might disappear again if he let go. “I was sick, I knew that for days before this happened. I should have taken someone with me, I was sicker than I thought. This is my fault, he was just trying to be a good friend.”

“You were sick?” Narsus jerked back slightly so he could look Elam in the eye. He still held on to Elam, and the boy winced a bit in his grasp.

“I’m getting better now.” Elam said. 

Narsus frowned at him. “You should have told me. I was worried when you didn’t return.”

“I’m sorry.” Elam looked down at the ground. “I didn’t want to bother anyone. We’ve got a long way to go with so little time. My being sick would only delay us. I guess passing out in the woods also delays us.”

“You passed out?” Narsus asked frantically.

“I told you, I’m better now. Arslan found me.” Elam quickly reassured. 

Narsus sighed, pulling Elam in closer to his chest and closing his eyes. “I’m just glad you’re safe. Don’t go off on your own again.”

“I won’t.” Elam promised, hugging Narsus back.

Daryun watched the scene with a small smile on his face before turning to Arslan. “I guess I can’t blame you too much.” He said.

Arslan laughed and scratched his head. “I’m still sorry. We made you both worry. I couldn’t stay at the camp and wait, my friend was in trouble.”

Daryun chuckled and ruffled the prince’s hair. “Anyone would have done the same. I’m sorry for making you stay at the camp.” He turned back to Elam and Narsus, the pair just beginning to pull away from their hug. “We should get back, everyone else is still waiting, and we need to keep going as soon as possible.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just one more chapter to go! 
> 
> Sorry this took so long, I blame it 95% on my own procrastination and 5% on real life.


	5. Chapter 5

By the time the group reached the camp the sun was already starting to set. Travelling would have to wait until tomorrow, Narsus and Daryun decided. 

 

Arslan and Elam received a warm welcome when they returned. Even Alfreed had pushed aside her dislike of Elam to give him a strained hug, punching him lightly in the shoulder almost immediately afterwards and reprimanding him with a sharp “You worried Narsus.”

 

Dinner was made for them, extra portions for both the boys. Arslan had tried to sneak of with Elam to do the dishes, but they were caught by a stern looking Narsus, who ushered the boy into the largest tent.

 

“You both need your rest. Sleeping in a cave isn’t the ideal place to recuperate from a cold.” He looked pointedly at Elam, who looked down at his feet.

 

After Narsus left Arslan began to prepare for bed. Elam tried to look anywhere but at the changing prince. “I can take Daryun’s bed.” He offered. The tent was most used just by Arslan, with a makeshift bed tucked away so Daryun was always close by incase the camp was attacked.

 

“Don’t be silly.” Arslan smiled. “My bed is big enough for both of us. Come on.”

“Arslan.” Elam protested. Arslan ignored him, instead trying to wrestle Elam’s tunic off of him. “Arslan, stop.”

 

Arslan looked at Elam. “I’m not letting you sleep on Daryun’s pitiful excuse for a bed. Either we share mine, or I sleep in his.” 

 

“I can’t let you sleep in Daryun’s bed, it wouldn’t be right, you’re a-” Elam was cut off. Arslan’s mouth was on his, kissing him, gentle yet firm. Before Elam could realize what was going on, it was over.

 

“If you say it’s because I’m a prince, I’ll force you to sleep in my bed.” Arslan said with a devilish smile. 

 

Elam took a moment to register what had just happened before asking. “If I slept in your bed with you, would you do that again?” 

 

“Would you like me to?” Arslan asked. Elam nodded slowly. Arslan complied, his lips quickly found their way back to Elam’s, only this time, Elam kissed back.

 

Arslan pulled away a few minutes later, only long enough to say. “Let’s go to bed.”

 

Elam grinned. “Yes, Your Highness.” He teased. Arslan swatted his bottom lightly and Elam yelped while laughing.

 

As they cuddled in the bed together Arslan thought back to the night before, and how they had huddled together there. It was silly to think, but it had felt like so long ago. He smiled as Elam shifted in his sleep, giving him one last kiss on the cheek before snuggling up close and drifting off. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's finally finished. I said before that there may be a short sequel to this, and I'm hoping to getting around to writing it soon!


End file.
